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Santorini, Paros or Naxos for family with teens?

My husband and I are taking our two teenage girls to the Cyclades for 5-6 days next summer when they will be 14 and 16. While my husband and I are thinking Santorini, I keep reading that it is not a great place for kids while Naxos and Paros are. Now, teens are not really kids, but we are still not sure what to do. We were hoping to just stay on one island as we area going to Athens for 2-3 days for the typical touristy sites, then the Cyclades for 5-6 days then to Copenhagen for a week and don't want to be bopping around too much. We typically rent apts whenever we travel instead of staying in hotels, yet another reason for fewer destinations. While my husband and I love to hike, our kids are not that wild about any hike longer than an hour or two. We are all athletic though and like to stay active on vacation while relaxing at the same time, e.g. go to sites in morning and beach in afternoon or drive/hike to small village, have lunch and just stroll around. Any advice appreciated, especially from those who have travelled to the Cyclades with teens. Thank you. Jennifer

If your daughters are fans of the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants movies they can spend time on Santorini searching out the various locations used in the film. The island offers archaeological sites, great swimming (but only so-so beaches), a couple of small museums, excellent nightlife (not all of it for the older crowd), fantastic views of the sea from the cliffs, and some challenging hiking trails if you feel the urge.

Paros and Naxos are interesting islands with excellent beaches, villages and some archaeological sites. I like Paros and have spent time there a few times, and also went to Antiparos for a few days once, which is a small, quiet change from the hustle and bustle of the other more popular islands. It's easily reached several times a day by local shuttle ferry.

Hamburger, I've been to Santorini 4 x, Paros ditto, and Naxos 9 times in the past 11 years, so although my kids are long past the teen years, I've had plenty of time to observe families with teens on these islands. Some thoughts:

TIMING -- Our advice would differ, depending on exactly WHEN you go, so "next summer" doesn't quite do it. Please! share more, to get best advice. In general: For the best Greek-isle experience (and in fact the best Greece experience, period) I would urge you to avoid the July 15 - August 30 stretch. This is the High Season, when all of Europe descends on Greece and each of the more reachable islands absolutely TEEM with crowds... especially highly-promoted islands lilke Santorini & Mykonos, which also have large package tours, and sometimes 2-3 huge cruise ships in port, which dump another 5,000+ people ashore to jam up everything. And it's hot hot hot. By contrast, the last 2 weeks of June are much saner... the water's warm enough to swim, the atmosphere is lively, but it isn't impossibly hot, and not crowded, at least on Naxos or Paros. I URGE you to think about this schedule, or at least something from late June to Early July.

DIVIDING YOUR VISIT -- I do not quite understand devoting 7 days to one city (Copenhagen) but only 8 days to an entire nation (Greece). I could only understand this if you have Danish connections to visit. I would humbly suggest 10 days greece, 5 days copenhagen. This makes it much more do-able to satisfy both teen & grown-up interests.

WHICH ISLANDS -- Santorini has a Glorious Caldera View ... and for your teens, not so much else. Too young for nightclubs or expensive shopping or costly meals or drinking wine on a balcony of an exclusive resort. So why not go to Santorini for 2 days max, then hop to Naxos for 4-5 days, then back to Athens for Famous Landmark for 3 days then out?

WHY NAXOS vs PAROS? -- Both Islands are attractive, much less crowded than Santorini, and have good beaches & interesting sights/sites. I just think Naxos might address the fdiffering interests of a family with teens a bit more, in such areas as:
(1) Mobility & Independence -- If you stay in a beach-area unit, in St. George (Ag Giorgios) BEach adjacent to Naxos Town, everything is walkable, and you need not always jump into a car. Teens the age of your girls want to be on their own a little, and this way they can safely be independent to shop or socialize... or at least, when you 4 are all at a harborside taverna for dinner, they can wander back to the beach area on their own. ALso, there is easy bus transport to all the other golden-sand beaches. Of course, it's also fun to rent a car for a couple of days to explore the island which has dramatic landscapes. Paros is not as easy to get around & you can't reach best beaches easilyl by bus, you'd need to drive more.
(2) Water Sport -- Ag. Giorgios beach has a sport center for kayaking, wind-surfing & the like. Paros has sports centers on windy beaches for wind-surfing, but not as accessible.
(3) Hiking -- Naxos has a lot more hiking trails including really short ones. Compare on this website http://www.cycladen.be/IntroductionEng.htm . A Naxos hike of 60 minutes round trip, for instance: http://www.cycladen.be/Chora-Agios%20ChrisostomosEngFrame.htm

Where to STay: I like St. George for teens/families for all above reasons, Many self-catering units to choose from. Here is a list: http://www.thegreektravel.com/naxos/hotels.html Look for places that are no more than 100 metres from the beach; check out Sun BEach, Kalergis, Thomais, Aegeon, Asteria, etc. Here's a map showing locattion of many (click to enlarge): http://www.naxos-greece.net/site/gfx/chora_naxos_hotels_map.jpg After early July, then I'd suggest Plaka beach (Aronis Taverna & apts would be my pick there). However, more isolated, lots more driving, kids will whine to go to town etc.

SEQUENCE -- Even w 9/10 days you've no time to waste. So why go into Athens TWICE? (at start/end of Greece stay). I know you'll be tired after trip from California, but tough it out a couple hours more and you'll have a much more efficient route. Here's how:

Buy your international ticket based on ARRIVAL time in Athens Airport. TIme it so you can make a connection to a Domestic Flight to Santorini 2-3 hours later. That allows time to get thru the lines, buy Euros, check in to Olympic or Aegean. Santorini has 5-6 flights per day. If you arrive by 9 am, you can be in Santorini by 12 or 1. If you arrive by 2, in Santorini by 6, to enjoy the sunset. After your 2 days, get a 2.5 hour enjoyable ferry ride to Naxos or Paros. To get back to Athens, FLY; you don't have time for a 5-hour ferry (Book this flight earlly -- Naxos has only ONE per day). By then, you'll be relaxed, revitalized, more familiar with Greek ways, better able to get around Athens and appreciate its famous landmarks.

I know I've droned on and on, compared to BrotherLee's admirable succinct comments, but I wanted to address your implicit as well as explicit concerns. i hope it helps.

I have not yet been to Greece (going in two weeks, just DH and me!), but I have been to Copenhagen and other parts of Europe with a teen and a fourth grader. My younger girl loved everything, and my older one liked a lot of it, but got tired of travel sometimes. One day we let her stay in the hotel room in Paris, and just "veg out." I felt it was a waste of precious time, but that evening she was back to her charming self; she just needed a short respite from us and all the touring.

As a result, the one suggestion I always give to people is to give the teen(s) a short break every three days or so. No matter how close you are or how well behaved your kids are, they will get tired of travel at times and may get cranky. This means letting them sleep in one morning while you and DH go out and explore, or bringing in pizza for them at the hotel one night while you guys have a romantic dinner alone.

If you can attend any local festivals, go to outdoor markets or music festivals, etc., do it. My girls both loved seeing a religious procession in folk costumes in Bavaria, and buying breakfast pastries at local bakeries in the morning. They liked checking out simple things like local food markets etc. to see how people lived. They also loved the day we drove through little Austrian villages and had a picnic, stopping wherever we felt like doing so. You mention that your kids are athletic; see if there's a soccer game going on at any of your locations.

Re: Copenhagen, it's a lovely city, and we explored it with our former au pair who's also a native, but three or four days are enough to see it all. The Danes are lovely people too, and generally very good looking. I saw several women who looked like models, and many of the men were quite tall and handsome. Why not either take more time in Greece, or stop somewhere in Germany on the way? Drive or take the train up the Rhine River valley and see the castles on your way to Denmark. We stayed in Hamburg on the way there, which is a lovely city. Cologne at the north end of the Rhine is also a good stop.

Wow! This is fantastic info and looks like we should spend more time in greece and less in Denmark and do a quick day or two in Santorini followed by a longer stay in Naxos. Brotherleelove, we are doing our trip the last two weeks of June, as soon as the kids get out of school.

We took the kids on a 3 week tour from Berlin, Prague, Dolomites, Cinque Terre and Paris last summer (drove between all cities except last two where we flew and rented apts in each place) and you are right about the down time. We spent one whole afternoon in the Tiergarten in a row boat and having beer/sodas. We do mostly outdoor activities with our kids when we travel and downplay the museum thing, alternating between hiking, biking, walking and shopping and napping.

From someone who lives in Greece I have to say travelerjan has it spot on!
Definitely get straight out to Santorini, then move on to Naxos. There you will be able to relax more as well as have plenty to do & see when you choose. Also the perfect place for parents & daughters to have their own time & space a little.
Another vote for reducing the Copenhagen time & increasing Athens days, so much to see. The key here will be picking the right hotel. Not necessarily the best or smartest, of far more importance in Athens is 1.location, 2.location,3.location, it can make or break your Athens experience. There are many places to stay with a wide buget range in a good location, close proximity to sites, shopping, transport links, once the planning moves on come back for recommendations!

Just noted your preference for apartments. Great option on the islands. In Athens it's possible at a few places, but by far the largest choice of accommodation in the right locality is in hotels. 2 adjoining rooms so the girls get their own space again?

Thanks Yiassas, we both know how well Naxos works for kids this age, and as the saying goes, teens ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.

About "bookmarking" that's Fodorese ... it does 2 things; by posting a reply in her name it adds this thread to the list kept under her name... so when she clicks on her own name, it will come up on her list. It has another function... a new reply bumps the thread up to the top of the Greece forum, so that it will not disappear as soon.

Another PS regarding apts: On Naxos there are many options that are called "studio units" ---unit with balcony, a bedroom with double bed, and main room with 2 day beds, several chairs, kitchenette area w. small table. Some of these also have 2 br. When u get closer to finalizing your trip we can advise on these ... no need to book way in advance, if going in June.

You have some great advice here, We took our teen grand daugher and her almost teen sister last summer at the end of June. Your time frame is the same. Their parents and our 40 something son came along. It was up to me to plan the entire itinery, with formost emphasis respecting the wishes/dreams of the kids. This was their special trip with their Greek gand father. Brotherleelove is right. It was a must to include Santorini because they had seen the movie. Definately wanted lots of BEACH time. Thirdly was not much traveling between destinations. We let them sleep most mornings and they were happy with only a mimumum of sight seeing. This trip was all about the kids-- memories were made and they are eager to return. They loved Santorini, and were well satisfied with 48 hours there and thought Imerovigili was perfect. If you click my name above, you will see a post I answered concerning accomadation in Naxos. We chose Plaka Beach. Perfect for a week for the kids, and the port and old town were easy enough to reach by car or bus. Busy on the first week on July, but not as crowded a Chora. It was perfect for us. we travel well, but always with expenses in mind. Renting 3 units in one complex worked well for us. As Traverlerjan stated, the apartments worked perfecly suited for a family. We also spent 4 days in Naplion and 3 in Athens. There was a super bagain at the Marriot hotel and we opted for that in Athens so the kids had the pool. Not a good location, but excellent because of the intense heat in mid July. One other tip...I stressed the necessity of traveling light and they followed it. My daughter, who has more outfits than the British queen, finally did what her Mom advised, and heard her tell her girl friend to do the same.

We just returned from Paros and Naxos with our kids, who are 19 and 22. My kids loved both places, but say that they preferred Paros. In fairness to Naxos, it was well into the 90s during our visit, so we didn't get to explore as much as we would have liked.

In Paros, you really need to have a car. We drove almost everywhere, so if that doesn't sound appealing, Naxos might suit you better. We stayed in a small village just outside Naoussa, which is a very picturesque port town with a submerged Venetian castle (!), narrow streets, great seafood, good shopping and ( reported by Greek friends) very thriving music/nightlife scene.

There is a wonderful windsurfing beach about fifteen minutes drive from where we stayed, and my kids both took lessons there. The beach itself is gorgeous- very windswept -( DUH!) and over a mile long.And there are places where you can rent chairs/umbrellas to get out of the sun, as well as some reasonably priced restaurants where you can have a long lunch.

We visited the famous Byzantine cathedral otherwise known as "The Church of 100 Doors" in Parakia, the main port town, which is really worth seeing for a short trip, although the harbor area itself left me cold.

We also spent a couple days exploring Lefkes, the medieval capital of the island, and the Valley of Petaloudes, which is home to huge butterflies, aka tiger moths.

Anyway, we had a fantastic time. ONe thing I noticed about Paros is that the beaches in early June seemed less crowded than the one we were on in Naxos. But that may be because we stayed in St. George, close to Naxos town.

You probably can't go wrong with either choice, but just wanted to give you some perspective on Paros...

Regarding Beaches/Naxos & crowding thereof... St. George can get a bit crowded, but there's the bus to go to Plaka for the day, which I do ... and I like much more to be in St. George of an evening, more choices, more greenery, walkable etc.

Regarding Beaches/Paros -- Love those western beaches but they DO get windy... adore Logares there, but u need beach shoes, all pebbles, lovely multi-color ones.

We had a similar experience late May in Santorini. Very cold water and some wind, which was a little disappointing, but we'd been there before, and still loved wandering around Oia and eating at the seafood restaurants in Amoudi Bay.

About Paros: We didn't need beach shoes for Golden Beach, the windsurfing beach I mentioned. DIdn't go to Logares. Is it on the other side of the island?

Logaras (I spelled it wrong before) is on Eastern Coast above Golden beach (Chrissi Akti); it's between Pounda and Piso Livadi if u have a map.

About the weather, we were in Santorini 5/19-21 .. I've also been there before (3 x) .. did some balcony sunbathing, Oia photo-ing, & museum'd when it got too chilly ... Did get one good sunset from terrace at Sunset Hotel Firostephani... much more relaxed than zoo scene at Oia. Fun enough, but delighted to move on to Naxos where the Sun God smiled on us, at last!

Great info thanks everyone! Will digest all this and let you now what we decide but probably Stay on paros or naxos for a week, rent a car and do a day trip to Santorini via ferry. Or, stay in Santorini for a night or two, depending on how the rentals in Naxos/Paros work, e.g. can we rent for less than a week. We've usually been able to in Europe.

If you decide on Paros, recommend taking an Antiparos round-island boat trip. The trips last from 10AM to 5PM, and pick up passengers at Pounta (the port) on Paros. This is a really fun day, with stops for swims on beaches accessible only by boat. The trip includes a bbq lunch. You can see a description with photos of one of the boats, Thiella, on http://www.islandstrolling.com/english/index.htm. Scroll down the menu on the left to 'Antiparos', then click on 'Boattrip around Antiparos'.

The boat in the photos has been replaced by a larger version, but the trip is about the same. There are other boats doing similar tours, but Thiella is the most reliable. Check with your hotel desk about booking the trip.

We were in both Santorini and Naxos with our 14 and 17 year old sons (along with friends and their teens)during the last 2 weeks of June 2008. You can find my trip report using the "advanced search" and putting in Greece for the title and
"fun4all4" in the member name area. I think the title is something like "Greece is Great"

I agree witih some of the above posters that splitting the stay may work if you can carve out enough time so that it is not a crazy rush. 5-6 Days in Santorini would have been too much with the teens, I think, but none of us would have wanted to miss it! Truly one of the most spectacularly beautiful places any of us has ever experienced. On the other hand, Naxos was more fun for stuff like the beach, ice cream, kayaking, playing soccer, and having the kids explore around on their own.

Unfortunately, my photos no longer seem to come up...perhaps because of some sort of time limit or change to the kodakgallery site. I can try to repost some on this thread if I can figure out the "new" system and you are interested. Please feel free to ask if you have any questions. Greece is a great destination with teens. Happy travels.

Yes, you can rent on Naxos & Paros for less than a week. Oh, regarding the Antiparos thing, that little island off Paros ALSO rents Kayaks by the hour for kayaking just off-shore.

And congrats again for timing, choosing last 2 weeks of June for your trip -- probably the 2 weeks guaranteed to have the best weather of he whole summer ... warm enough but not burning hot.. no rain ... not the windyness of later in summer, so the seas are smooth. PLUS everything's open & humming but huge crowds havent yet arrived.

>> Oh, regarding the Antiparos thing, that little island off Paros ALSO rents Kayaks by the hour for kayaking just off-shore.<<

Where did you read that, Jan? I know you've never set foot on Antiparos!

Seriously though, hamburger, if you are interested in sea kayaking, it can be done on Antiparos, but more as an all day thing than by the hour. If you are interested, I can direct you to two different sources, one in San Georgio, at the southern end of the island (you will need a car), and the other in Antiparos Town, both by prior arrangement.

Heimdall, I got that info on Thorn Tree I think... home of all half -truths. BTW ... it is my fervent GOAL not only to set foot on Antiparos in 2011, but to stay there a while ... I may even skip Naxos if necessary. I'm hoping that my trip will be a little later than usual, perhaps May 20 or 21 thru Maybe JUne 17 or so. Will you be on your Blessed Isle any time during that period? I shall tailor my trip accordingly!! -- TJ

Have no idea when I will be on Antiparos next year - was thinking about July, but more likely late June, then maybe again at the end of August. Also, can't forsee the state of my health a year from now, so will probably make up my mind in the spring.

BTW, the man on Psaraliki Beach who rents beach chairs also rents pedalos, serfboards [sic] , and so-called kayaks, so maybe that is what the TT post was referring to. Certainly not worth a trip to Antiparos for, though - there are many other beaches with the same amenities. That's the danger of passing on second-hand information - it's often wrong, and even when not, too easy to get things out of context.

Two different places rent kayaks at the southern end of the island where the waters are sheltered, and the scenery spectacular (the same area as the grotto in the islandstrolling.com link in my above post). One is through the Dolphin Hotel in San Georgio (Agios Georgios), and the other is Kostas Kalpenidis, who can be contacted through Yannis Cafe in Antiparos Town. I know little about the Dolphin Hotel kayaking connection, so can't give a recommendation. I do know Kostas personally, and he has stopped doing tours, but still has the kayaks, and will make them available when asked.

Thanks everyone. Our plan now is to go to Athens for 3 nights then Naxos for 6 nights then Santorini for 3 nights. I am thinking we will stay in Ia on Santorini, but am wondering if it might be too quiet for a family. We are going the last two weeks of June and I am just worried that Fira might just be too crowded. We need some retaurants but do not need lots of discos/clubs/bars. On Naxos, I still am not sure, maybe Plaka, as it is probably more laid back then the main town of Hora. If we stayed in Ia, would we need a car? I think our plan is to rent a car for a few days on Naxos but not on Santorini. hmmm. any additional input helpful. We are looking for apts to rent in each location, preferably with a balcony or terrace with view but it does not have to be fancy, just safe, clean and with some Greek island charm. Thank you. jennifer

Oia won't be too quiet in late June, but I wonder about Plaka on Naxos. The location at Plaka Beach is nice for daytime, but there's not that much to do in the evenings. I think your teenage daughters would enjoy being given a little freedom during the holiday, and Naxos Town is perfect for that. I would have no hesitation letting sensible 14 and 16 year-olds out on their own for a few hours in Naxos Town. The whole island is family oriented, and probably safer than where you are at home. If you are the worrying type, buy a couple of cellphones with Greek SIMs and give one to the 16 y.o.

hamburger, the usual reaction by 20-somethings to Naxos is that they wish there were MORE discos/clubs etc. Heimdall is right, a family island. Where teens gather around the Naxos Town harbor area is at the Waffle House (60 kinds of ice cream, wooo,scarey), and at other sweet-shop places, or just along the waterside, where there are seating "niches"... there are also a couple of places that have video games, computer games & the like. No dens of iniquity.

The diversions for teens at adjoining Ag. Giorgios beach, which has been thoroughly discussed (see above).... Easy to get out to Plaka beach, spend most of the day ... then back to Ag. Giorgios, to the accoms recommended (also see above) .. if there's nothing going on for kids in plaka in the evening, the kids will hang around whining.